Hypertension Readmissions More Common in COPD Patients with Major Comorbidities in Selected South Carolina Hospitals

A Lancet Respiratory Medicine meta-analysis found that patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) have a 1.33 odds ratio of being diagnosed with hypertension, compared to the non-COPD population.

Smoking is the leading cause of COPD. Dexur has previously reported on the relationship between smoking and malignant hypertension. Nationally, 3.31% of COPD inpatients are readmitted with hypertension within 30 days of discharge, according to Dexur's data.

To examine the effects of hypertension in patients with COPD, Dexur analysts examined hospital-level data on 2013-2016 CMS inpatient discharges at six selected hospitals in South Carolina. The percentage of readmissions with hypertension was similar across hospitals.

Hypertension readmission rates were higher for patients with COPD with major complications or comorbidities (DRG 190) than for COPD patients in general.

AnMed Health Medical Center had the highest proportion of COPD patients with complications or major complications in the sample. 51% of its COPD patients had major complications or comorbidities; only 12% had no complications. The highest percentage of COPD patients with no complications was 27%, at Trident Medical Center.

Smoking and hypertension are among the largest sources of ill health worldwide. A Lancet analysis for the 2015 Global Burden of Disease study measured contributors to disability-adjusted life years worldwide. High blood pressure (hypertension) and smoking were the top two contributors.

Hypertension accounted for about 211 million lost years of healthy life between 1900 and 2015, while smoking accounted for about 148 million lost years of healthy life in that period.

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Total Discharges

Total Discharges After Exclusion

All Cause 30 Day Readmissions

30 Day Hypertension Readmissions

30 Day Hypertension Readmission Rate (%)

State 30 Day Hypertension Readmission Rate (%)

National 30 Day Hypertension Readmission Rate (%)

% 30 Day Readmissions back to Same Hospital

30 to 60 Day Hypertension Readmissions

30 to 60 Day Hypertension Readmission Rate (%)

State 30 to 60 Day Hypertension Readmission Rate (%)

National 30 to 60 Day Hypertension Readmission Rate (%)

For COPD overall, DRG 190, DRG 191, and DRG 192, from 2013-2016, for the following hospitals:

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James Pitt

James Pitt is a science writer with experience in medical devices and textbook publishing. His hobbies include reading, flintknapping, and squinting at RStudio. He received a bachelor's in Human Evolutionary Biology from Harvard.